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Kitchen Tips
your 'information highway' to a whole bunch of nifty kitchen tips - tips which make life in the kitchen a lot easier in beautiful Greater Victoria, BC
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| Kitchen Tips II in beautiful Victoria BC |
Using Bacon. I cut bacon slices in half, put 6 halves in plastic wrap and then the individual packages into a freezer bag and freeze it. Then take out a package and fry it whenever you want bacon - it fries frozen or thaw a few seconds in the microwave.--------
Draining Sauces. To get out that last bit of ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce or whatever else, just make sure the cap is on tight (IMPORTANT) and swing it around and around in a circle, with the cap facing the outside. The centrifugal force will cause all the contents to move towards the cap. It's also a great physics lesson for your elementary-age child!--------
Storing Celery. To keep celery from getting soft pick off leaves, wash, cut away any unwanted pieces. Add a little water to an empty, clean, large mayonnaise jar. Keep celery bunched and slowly slide into the jar, then cover with plastic wrap and an elastic. Keeps it fresh for weeks! You can take out 1 piece at a time and chop for garnishes or use it all.
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Opening Jars. To open a bottle or jar with a screw-top containing a liquid, hold the container at a 45 degree angle in one hand so that the liquid partially contacts the lid. And then rap the bottom smartly with the heel of your other hand. The liquid hitting the top will almost always loosen it. This is an old pharmacists' trick.--------
Greasing Pans. When using sticks of butter or sticks of Crisco shortening, save the wrapper to grease the pan. No mess, no fuss!
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Tempting Children. To get my children to eat vegetables and fruits I purchased garnish cutters. These are stainless steel cutters which are about 1-1/2" in across and work well with any crisp vegetable or fruit. They come in the shapes of a rooster, flower, butterfly, goldfish, squirrel, goose, moose and crab.--------
Storing Brown Sugar. I store my brown sugar in the freezer. When I need it I take out of the freezer about 15 minutes ahead of time to soften up. Your brown sugar stays fresh.--------
Keeping Potatoes. Throw in an apple for good measure. Even after two months, potatoes stored with an apple will be firm and sprout-free, whereas apple-less stored potatoes will be shriveled and soft (eww!). It seems that as the apple ripens, it emits ethylene gas and other organic alcohols; these gasses and alcohols suppress the elongation of the potato cells (which would cause those yuckky sprouts to form). So next time you see a good price on a huge bag of potatoes, go ahead and take advantage of the savings... so long as you remember to store them with an apple!--------
Chopping Jalapenos. Before you chop up jalapenos or any hot peppers, remember to rub vegetable oil on your hands first. By doing this, your hands and fingers won't suffer from the pepper burns!--------
Snow White Cauliflower. For snow-white cauliflower, steam or boil it with a wedge of lemon and 1/4 cup of milk. This will improve its looks and taste.--------
Keeping Veggies Fresh. I always wrap fresh vegetables in paper towels before placing them back in plastic produce bags. They stay fresh much longer since the paper absorbs excess moisture and the plastic prevents them from getting dried out.--------
Sweetening Stuffed Peppers. Some people don't care for stuffed peppers because of the bitterness of the green pepper. My mother taught me this years ago. After seeding and washing the green pepper well, take a pinch of sugar and sprinkle around the inside. Then proceed with your favorite recipe. No bitter pepper.--------
Marking Hard Boiled Eggs. When hard boiling your eggs, put a few onion skins (just those loose ones that fall off anyway) in with the water, then cook as usual. The egg shells will turn a light brown color and you will be able to tell them from the raw ones.--------
Separating Coffee Filters. Have trouble separating those coffee filters? Just turn a small stack of them inside out and then back again. They will come off one by one.--------
No Soggy Pie Bottoms. For all those who have had trouble with soggy bottom pie crust: Place bottom crust in pie pan. Place small amount of corn starch on bottom crust and spread out with finger tips. Fill pie like usual. The corn starch acts like a barrier and as pie bakes it thickens, further helping to prevent a soggy crust.--------
Cleaning the Microwave. The best thing I have found to clean my microwave is a bowl of water. Place it in the oven and "cook" on high for 5 - 7 minutes. Wipe out with damp cloth as soon as oven stops. Works all the time and no chemicals. You could add a slice of fresh lemon or 1/4 cup vinegar to deodorize.--------
Preventing Microwave Scalds. Here is a tip that I just gleaned from a co-worker: Ever get scalded by hot steam when nuking a plastic container of leftovers in the microwave? Just cover the dish with a paper towel or napkin and then lay the lid over it - it keeps the heat in, allowing your food to heat more quickly, but it doesn't allow the lid to get sucked back onto the container, creating that burst of steam when you finally get it pried off. Now why didn't I think of that a long time ago?--------
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meanwhile we most cordially invite the good people of Greater Victoria BC who have discovered a nifty way of doing things in the kitchen to
send in their kitchen tips and share them with us here.
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